A Different Kind of Bell Test
by ambiencealikw
Summary: Kakashi tests how determined Sakura is to join ANBU. Sakura has never failed a seduction mission before, and she has no intention of starting now. The whole village takes notice as things begin to heat up.
1. Chapter 1

Well I've been afraid of changing

Cause I've built my life around you

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

* * *

Kakashi dropped down from the roof, landing squarely in front of Sakura. She blinked up at him, green eyes narrowed in annoyance.

'What is it?' She asked.

Generally Kakashi only came looking for when he was badly injured or she had done something wrong. To her knowledge nothing she had done recently should have upset him, and a casual glance up and down his figure demonstrated that he was all in one piece.

'I hear you want to try out for ANBU,' he said, tilting his head in a predatory way.

'How?' Sakura demanded, 'I literally only just told Tsunade five minutes ago that I was considering it.'

'I was eavesdropping,' he said casually.

'Of course you were,' she growled. She shouldered past him and continued down the street. He fell into step beside her, humming tunelessly in typical Kakashi fashion.

'Why do you care, anyway? You haven't been my teacher for years now, Kakashi,' Sakura said, watching him from the corner of her eye.

'True. I'm still your Captain though,' he countered.

'I rarely go on missions,' she said flatly.

'Exactly, so why ANBU?' He said.

Sakura stopped and turned to face him. 'You didn't answer my question,' she observed.

'Nor you mine,' he returned.

They stared at each other, seemingly at an impasse.

'Did you give Naruto this hard a time when he applied for ANBU?' She asked.

'Yes,' Kakashi said with a firm nod. 'Are you aware of what is required of a female kunoichi in ANBU?' He asked.

'Yes,' Sakura said quietly, meeting his gaze with fierce determination. 'What is this really about Kakashi?'

'I'm your Captain. I'm responsible for any promotions you apply for,' he said after a few long, tense moments.

'What do you mean?' She asked.

'If you want to join ANBU, I have to train you. Once I deem that you have what it takes, I submit your application,' Kakashi explained.

'Train me, huh?' She smirked. 'I bet that's a real hardship for you.'

'Are you serious about this?' He asked, ignoring her flippant comment.

She studied his serious countenance and thought about all the reasons she had brought up ANBU with Lady Tsunade. While she loved working in the hospital, she was sick of being looked over for missions. She only really saw Team 7 when they were injured or needed her help for something or the very rare mission.

Sakura was so sick of being left behind by her team mates, and it would be satisfying to prove to them and also to herself that she was just as strong as them. She wanted to stand beside them.

Also, she was trying to convince Tsunade to let her train a squad of ANBU medics to lower the amount of deaths and serious injuries. She needed to be out in the field in order to see what kind of training they would need and where they could be used best. Until she was in ANBU, she just didn't have the clearance to find out that sort of information.

She wanted this, badly. For reasons both selfish and pure.

'Yes,' Sakura said firmly.

After a brief pause, Kakashi nodded. 'Fine, I'll come get you at seven,' he said. With a cheery wave, he walked off, leaving Sakura staring after him in confusion.

The knock on her door at seven came far too quickly.

Sakura had spent the day in contemplation. What sort of training did Kakashi mean? Sure, she'd teased him about teaching her the art of seduction, but surely he didn't actually intend to do so? He had said that he had trained Naruto as well, and though male ANBU were also supposed to learn the art of seduction, she couldn't see Kakashi teaching Naruto such things.

By half past six she had worn a hole in her floor, pacing from one end to the other. Was this really the right thing to do? Did she really want this? And what if he did have to teach her about seduction? How did she really feel about that? Kakashi had been her teacher. She might be twenty-two now and a woman in her own right, but Kakashi was fourteen years her senior, and her Captain. This could change everything between them.

She pressed her head against the wood of her front door.

Decision time.

'It's pretty cold out here, you know,' Kakashi said, his voice muffled through her door. 'If you have changed your mind, you could tell me rather than leaving me out here on your doorstep.'

'Oh shut up,' Sakura said, rolling her eyes as she opened the door. She let him in and closed the door behind him, leading the taller man towards her lounge room. Kakashi sat down on her couch, and she settled beside him, looking at him expectantly.

'So,' Kakashi said, settling back against her couch in a lazy position, 'you want to join ANBU.'

'I do,' Sakura said. 'I have selfish reasons of course, but I also want to develop a training regime for an ANBU medic squad that I need ANBU clearance for. As you know, only a handful of people have clearance for members of ANBU, and out of that group the only ones that are available to heal them are Shizune and Tsunade-sama,' she explained.

'I see, so you want to understand what kinds of threats and injuries this ANBU medic team would need to be trained for,' Kakashi nodded. 'Currently all ANBU members are trained in basic medicine, so they can heal the more superficial injuries and set bones, things like that, but I can see how a medic team would be useful. If an ANBU gets injured, it's probably going to be serious.'

'Exactly, and as most of my teammates are ANBU now, you can see why I have an issue with how things currently are,' she joked. Still, Sakura was pleased to see that Kakashi was actually listening to her idea and giving it merit, not just dismissing her.

'Indeed,' he said. 'Still, joining ANBU is a very serious step, especially for someone as young as yourself.'

'Yes, it is,' she said gently. 'But how old were you when you joined?'

'I was far too young,' he agreed. 'But I had no family to hold me back, and my sensei was dead as well as both of my team mates. At the time I preferred the idea of joining ANBU to being placed in a new team,' he explained.

'Why did you leave ANBU?' She asked, looking at him with concern. Kakashi had never opened up to her like this before. He rarely ever talked about his past and yet here he was, leaving his soul bare to her.

'The Third could see what it was doing to me. The bigger a reputation I built for myself, the more I retreated from the world. That much death can change you, especially when you don't have anything to anchor you,' he said quietly, still meeting her gaze with serious eyes. 'So I left ANBU, and along came you lot of miscreants,' he joked, lightening the mood slightly.

'I'm glad,' she said with a smile.

'It will be different for you, like it is for Sai and Naruto, because you have each other to anchor you, a shoulder to cry one, people who understand what it's like,' he said, a wistful look in his eye. 'Still, it isn't something to take lightly. Working in ANBU is like nothing you've ever experienced. It kills something inside of you to be seen as only a weapon, an instrument of death. You have no choice of missions, you do what is assigned to you, and you do it quickly and efficiently and then you go on another one, and another.'

'Are you trying to scare me off?' She asked. He raised an eyebrow at her, and then sighed as he shook his head a little.

'Yes, and no. I just want you to be sure that this is what you want, that you know what you're getting into,' he said.

'I understand,' she said, giving him a reassuring smile, 'but this is what I want.'

'Alright,' he nodded. 'Then we'll discuss training now. Obviously some work will need to be done to get your skills up to scratch. While you still train a few times a week, you need to be sharpening your skills everyday. So from now on you'll be joining my training in the mornings with Naruto and Sai.'

'That sounds fine, what time?' She agreed.

'We start at six and train until nine-thirty,' he said. 'Training ground seven of course.'

'Naturally,' she smiled.

'Then there's the seduction training,' Kakashi said. 'I know you did some with Anko when you turned sixteen, but this will be far more involved.'

'Right,' Sakura nodded, putting on her best professional listening face.

'In ANBU, a kunoichi's best weapon is her body. A lot of the time you can use it to get information from a target without anyone being any the wiser. Sometimes you will only need to get your target alone, sometimes you will need to kiss them or perform a sexual act, and sometimes you will need to have sex with them. On the rare mission you may even need to go undercover as your target's lover for weeks or even months and act like a young beautiful woman in love in order to get the information you need,' Kakashi explained.

'So that's why you need so much extra training, to make sure you're good,' Sakura said.

'Yes but that's not all of it. You also need to be able to deal with it emotionally and psychologically. Your body won't be your own anymore, and you will be expected to use it in ways you don't agree with,' Kakashi said in a soft voice. From his tone, Sakura could see that doing such acts for your village truly did take its toll, and had done so on him. It made her very glad that he had left ANBU before it could break him completely.

'I see, so you will teach me the ANBU methods of seduction as well as coping techniques, is that right?' Sakura asked.

'Yes, and you will also need to pass a psych exam before your application is submitted, and one again every six months while you are in ANBU,' Kakashi said.

'Do you think I can handle it?' She asked him.

'It will change you in ways both good and bad,' he said, 'but if I didn't think you could handle it, I wouldn't be here.'

'Thanks,' she said, touched by his demonstration of belief in her.

'You're welcome,' he said. 'So now that we've covered that, it's time to get serious.'

'Where do we start?' Sakura asked nervously.

'Pack a bag, you'll be staying at my place for awhile,' he instructed.

'Oh,' Sakura stated, a slight blush blooming across her cheeks.

Kakashi chuckled as she got to her feet and almost ran to her bedroom. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it, taking a deep, shaky breath.

What on earth did you pack to stay at a man's house who was intent on teaching you the art of seduction?

Sakura nibbled on her bottom lip as she moved to stand in front of her cupboard. She pulled out her training gear and some everyday clothes and threw them onto the bed. The main problem was underwear. Most of her under garments had cherries and white lace on them. The rest were scanty thongs made of satin or lace. There was no middle ground between childish or whorish.

With a shrug she threw in a few pairs of both. Until she went shopping those would have to do.

Crisis averted for now, until she had to actually wear them in front of him anyway, she grabbed a few other bits and pieces, shoes and towels and toiletries and the like. Then she stuffed everything into a bag, grabbed her pillow, and walked back out of her bedroom.

'All done,' she announced.

'Right,' Kakashi said as he stood up, 'Let's go then.'

They raced over the rooftops of Konoha. Kakashi headed towards the other, more posh side of town. He had recently moved out of the poky room he had lived in for so long and back into the house that had belonged to his parents. He had been doing the place up over the past few years and had moved back there only a few months ago.

Kakashi dropped to the ground in front of a quiet little lane. The houses were now too far apart for sneaky ninja travel, so they walked side by side towards the cozy two storey house at the end of the street.

He unlocked the door, released a few traps and motioned her inside. Sakura brushed past him, stepping inside his family home for the first time. She slipped off her shoes and then looked around.

It was quite bare but still a beautiful home. The front landing opened into a sunken lounge room that contained a single couch and a small table. Against the wall was a bookshelf containing a few dozen books and a scattering of kunai. The distinctive smell of dust told Sakura that Kakashi still didn't spend all that much time in here.

'My bedroom and bathroom is upstairs,' Kakashi said from beside her. 'You can have my old room.'

He lead her to the right of the lounge room, where a passageway opened into what obviously used to be a playroom. Sakura smiled sadly at the open chest of abandoned toys at the back of the room. Kakashi had had such a sad childhood. It must have been painful for him to return here.

Another door further down the passageway lead to a large bedroom. There was a small bed to one side of the room, a wardrobe and a desk. A large window at the back of the room gave a view of the backyard. It was overgrown, with wild roses and large trees obscured by tall weeds, but Sakura was intrigued by the promise it held.

'This is a lovely home,' Sakura said, turning to look at Kakashi. He stood by the door, a wistful look on his face as he stared out the window. Sakura had spotted a weathered old post buried under a vine that he had probably used for target practice. He had probably spent hours in that yard.

'Thanks,' he nodded, then turned and stalked out. Sakura dropped her bag on the bed and followed.

He headed up the stairs with Sakura trailing after him. At the top of the stairs there was an open door to the right that showed a large bathroom and to the left was an open area containing a bed, a desk and a large wardrobe. The entire back wall was glass and opened out onto a balcony. Like downstairs, this room was also quite sparse, but had a more masculine scent. This was clearly where he spent most of his time.

On his bedside table there were a few photos. One of them was their genin team photo. Sakura blushed, embarrassed that he kept such a thing next to his bed. She was so young in that photo, is that he still thought of her? If so, it would make this whole experience beyond awkward. Of course, he looked the same in the photo as he did now. Kakashi never changed, really.

'So,' Kakashi said, watching her from where he had settled down in his bed while she looked around his room, 'if this is going to work, we need to be comfortable with each other.'

It happened in a flash. One second everything was normal if slightly awkward, and in the next Kakashi's mask was gone and for the first time in her entire life, Sakura was seeing his face.

'Oh,' she said softly, her wide green eyes drinking in every aspect of his face.

He looked much younger than she expected. Also, there was no weird tan or buck teeth or fish lips or whatever else Team Seven had dreamed up as kids. Instead, Sakura was suddenly struck by the realisation that Kakashi was a man, and a very attractive one at that.

This realisation deepened when he rose to his feet and peeled off his shirt. He had already discarded his vest and headband, and the effect of his sinfully beautiful face, rippling muscly chest and silver hair flopping artfully into his eyes was breathtaking.

Sakura frowned at him.

'What?' He asked, looking surprised as he moved closer to her.

'Stop,' she said, throwing up a hand to stop him in his tracks. 'You and your fantastic sculpted chest can stay over there thanks!'

'Sakura, what?' He asked. The bewilderment on his face would have been both amusing and fascinating if it weren't for the fact that she was hyperventilating.

Kami, he was gorgeous. Was it even legal for creepy old senseis to be that hot?

He ignored her warning and grabbed her hand, pulling her closer. 'Sakura, breath, tell me what's wrong!'

'Do you mind?' She snapped. 'I'm having an existential crisis here!'

'Why?' He asked, looking more amused than panicked now.

'You look like a freaking model, that's why! I thought you would at least have some freaky tan line, so I could focus on that. I mean I knew you must be pretty hot from Ayame's reaction all those years ago but damn! Damn!' She swore.

'Um, sorry?'He responded.

'And you look so young too, what the hell?' She demanded.

'Good genes,' he said, and he smiled.

Oh god, he smiled. It was a crooked smile that showed off his perfect white teeth. Ugh.

'Don't do that,' she growled, smooshing her free hand against his mouth. 'You should be locked up for your own good. If you ever took that mask off in public you'd be killed by a mob of screaming fangirls.'

'I don't wear a mask, technically,' he said.

'Uh, yeah you do,' Sakura said sarcastically. 'Like, every minute of every day.'

'It's a genjutsu, actually,' Kakashi said. Sakura blinked up at him, completely shocked as what he had said sunk in.

'Wait, you seriously use a genjutsu against literally every person who sees you to make them think you wear a mask?' Sakura asked.

'Yes.'

'But you've worn it since you were seven,' she objected.

'Yeah, well I used to wear it, but it was itchy and everyone was always trying to see underneath it, so after I got the sharingan I worked with genjutsu until I could hold the illusion without really thinking about it,' he explained.

'You're kidding,' Sakura said, scepticism almost oozing out of her pores. No one could hold a genjutsu for so long against so many people.

'It was pretty easy because everyone was already used to the idea of me wearing it, so they do most of the work really, the genjutsu just encourages them to believe that I still wear the mask,' Kakashi said with a smirk. She could feel the smirk against her hand. It was probably gorgeous too. UGH.

'So when we spent all that time as genin trying to unmask you, just to find out that underneath your mask was another mask, all that was just genjustsu?' She asked.

'Yeah, that was pretty funny,' he chuckled. His lips brushed against her hand again, and her stomach swooped.

'Sneaky,' she growled.

'Ninja,' he returned.

'Fine, moving on, why exactly did you take your shirt off?' Sakura asked.

The jangle of bells made her narrow her eyes.

'It's time for a new kind of bell test,' he smirked, stepping away from her. Sakura's hand dropped to her side as she glared at him.

'You can't be serious,' she objected.

'I am very serious,' he said, a hint of a smile and a wicked look teasing her.

'I have to what? Seduce them from you?' She asked. Her pulse sped up at the implication. She would need to out-sex this sex god standing in front of her.

'Exactly,' he smirked, and it was just as devastating as she had suspected. 'You need to get used to nudity and using your body as a weapon, and you need to get comfortable with me to learn what I have to teach you.'

Sakura stared at Kakashi, frustration bubbling in her stomach and crawling up her throat.

'Does this really bother you, Sakura?' Kakashi asked. His eyes were gentle and kind, and Sakura narrowed her focus to just his eyes. That was familiar territory at least. There was something comforting about Kakashi's mismatched gaze.

'It's just that you seem like a stranger all of a sudden,' Sakura said after a few moments. 'You're Kakashi-sensei. Not some hot young man with nice muscles and smiles.'

'I'm not your sensei anymore, Sakura. We're equals,' he said seriously. 'This will change your perception of me, and quite drastically, but that's a good thing. I'm not a hero. I'm a man.'

'I know,' Sakura frowned. 'But it's like I never really saw you before. It's hard to reconcile the picture of you I have in my mind with the person standing in front of me.'

He stepped closer to her, cupping her chin with his large, masculine hand. 'I know it's difficult now, but it will get easier with time.'

'You promise?' She asked.

'Absolutely,' he smiled.

Then he was leaning closer and Sakura's eyes went wide with shock as his lips gently brushed hers. He kissed her once, twice and a third time, and she was entirely caught up in the feel of his mouth.

Kakashi pulled away and chuckled lightly as he kissed her forehead.

'We'll start small, ok?' He asked her with a gentle smile. Sakura nodded, embarrassed by the deep blush creeping up her chest and inflaming her cheeks. She had kissed guys before, but something about Kakashi kissing her had been electric. Not only was a certifiable babe, but he knew how to give toe-curling kisses as well. Ino would be super jealous.

'Take off a few items of clothes,' he instructed, 'As much as you're comfortable with.'

'Alright,' Sakura agreed, taking a deep shaky breath. Her hands moved to her side and unzipped her medic skirt. It fluttered to the ground and she stepped out of it.

Looking down, she shyly raised one hand to the zipper of her shirt. She pulled it down slowly and looked at Kakashi through the fringe of her lashes. He watched her predatorily as it came undone and she allowed it to fall to the ground as well.

Underneath the shirt was a plain black bra. She toyed with the clasp but changed her mind, instead reaching her hands up to her head, arching her chest forwards she she undid her headband. It hit the ground with a dull clang.

She was dressed only in her skin-tight black shorts and her bra.

'Is this alright?' Sakura asked, still feeling slightly nervous. Kakashi had seen her partially undressed on numerous occasions, but she'd never deliberately undressed for him before. It felt different.

'You did well,' Kakashi said, giving her a reassuring smile. He moved over to the bed and sat propped up against his pillows. 'Come sit with me.'

Sakura moved to sit beside him and squeaked in surprise when he grabbed her and deposited her in his lap. They sat with her straddling his lap, his hands resting possessively on her hips. He just smirked at her, causing her to sigh. She probably should have expected it.

'How much personal experience do you have?' Kakashi asked.

'Personal experience?' Sakura asked.

'Outside of what you have needed to do as a ninja,' he explained.

'Oh,' Sakura said. 'I've kissed a few guys. I lost my virginity when I was seventeen. Since then it's mostly been a casual fling here and there.'

'And as a ninja?'

'I've gone on twenty seduction missions since I was sixteen. In the first five or six missions I was working with Ino. She would get the guy to the room, I would dose him and we would question him after which she wiped his memory.'

'Efficient,' Kakashi noted.

'Yes, after we got the hang of it we were given a few harder missions. We were sent on four missions of a longer duration, a few weeks, that required a little more persuasion.'

'Did you have sex with the targets?' Kakashi asked.

'Yes,' Sakura nodded. 'It was necessary in order to establish trust in the missions.'

'Good,' Kakashi said.

'The rest were solo missions. Some were quick in and out missions, seduce the guy, get him alone, pump him for info and some were the longer, trickier ones,' Sakura finished.

'Ok, so you have a good grasp of the basics,' Kakashi said. 'That's helpful. ANBU will have a close look at all of your missions, particularly your success rate. Don't be too worried if you failed a few of them, ANBU will take all the circumstances of the mission into consideration.'

'I haven't.'

'You haven't?'

'I haven't failed a single seduction mission. I have a 100% success rate,' Sakura said.

'Really?' Kakashi asked, mildly surprised. It was rare to hear of anyone having such a high success rate, particularly for those kinds of missions.

'Don't sound so surprised, Kakashi. I'm not a little girl. I know how to use my body when necessary,' Sakura teased, shifting her weight so that their groins were pressed together in a more intimate way.

'I guess we're both guilty of holding onto an unrealistic perception of the other,' Kakashi admitted.

'It's alright,' Sakura said with a smile.

'I guess it does make sense. You've always been very logical and strategic. Once you're comfortable thinking of your body as a weapon, the rest is much easier,' Kakashi mused.

'Indeed,' Sakura said.'So now that the inquisition is over, what next?'

'Now you seduce me for the bells,' Kakashi said. Sakura stared at him, struggling with herself for a second. She had to push past the idea of Kakashi-sensei and see the man. All men could be seduced one way or another, and from the way Kakashi's eyes occasionally drifted down to her chest, she had a feeling she already knew his weakness.

Still, that would be too easy. Maybe she could start off teasing him a little.

Sakura leaned over to his bedside table, pulling out Kakashi's favourite, well-read copy of Icha Icha Paradise. He instantly blushed. Sakura was pleased to note that the blush spread down his chest. Cute.

'That's cheating,' he pouted.

'Ninja,' she smirked.

Sitting up and settling back comfortably, she opened up a random page and flicked through it until she found an interesting scene.

'Jinsei pressed Tetsumi against the wall,' Sakura read coyly. 'His arousal was firm against her stomach and she moaned his name loudly as his long, masculine fingers ripped open her bodice. Her large breasts spilled out of the torn shirt, much to Jinsei's delight.'

'He ground his erection into her hot centre as his hands explored her heaving tweaked her nipples and she cried out. 'Please Jinsei-sama, take me now!' 'Your wish is my command, Tetsumi-hime!'

'Ok, yeah I can't read this,' Sakura complained. 'You know it's just Jiraiya's wishful thinking about Tsunade, right?'

Kakashi chuckled uncomfortably. 'She's a fine woman.'

'Pig,' Sakura teased, hitting him with the book. She put it aside and smirked at him as she moved closer. 'Still, you seemed to enjoy that, Kakashi.' She could feel Kakashi's erection pressed against her, and it fueled her own excitement. Her body was starting to become aroused.

'Of course,' he said, 'but it's hardly an original strategy. I learned my lesson when Naruto returned to the village and the two of you used Icha Icha to beat me then. You can do better than that.' Kakashi teased.

'Definitely, but the simplest strategy often works best,' Sakura said. 'Testing a known weakness was a logical starting point.'

'True, so when that fails, what's the next step?' He asked.

'I would collect more intel on the target and reassess,' Sakura responded.

'Alright, so you've done that. Deliver your assessment of your target,' Kakashi instructed,

'Hatake Kakashi. 36 years of age. S-ranked ninja of Konoha. Jonin rank with previous suspected ANBU involvement. Hatake is 181 centimetres tall and weighs about 67 kilograms, has white hair and one left black eye and one right sharingan eye. Target consistently wears a mask across his lower face and his hitaite slanting across his right sharingan eye. Called Sharingan Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, and the Ninja of a Thousand Jutsus. His strengths include the fact that he controls a pack of ninken, seven dogs ranging in size, the Sharingan which allows him to see through illusions, gives him greatly increased speed and reaction time, and allows him to copy the ninjutsu of other ninja. Possible weaknesses include his known preoccupation with Icha Icha novels, as well as his propensity for stupidly jumping in front of nearly lethal attacks directed at his students,' Sakura said with a smirk.

'Good,' Kakashi said. 'Very thorough. So your conclusion?'

'Hatake is a very dangerous target because of his ability to see through illusion. This would make disguising myself more difficult. The target is also highly intelligent, often called a genius and so fooling him for any length of time would be nearly impossible. Further, there is little to no information of target's sexuality or dating habits, and target is regularly gone from the village, so establishing a relationship with Hatake would be be both risky and difficult. Finally, Hatake's loyalty to Konoha is unshakable, so should I manage to establish a relationship, getting any useful information from him would be a frustrating and unfruitful experience,' Sakura finished.

'Therefore I make a pretty poor target for seduction missions,' Kakashi said with smug satisfaction.

'For an enemy ninja, certainly,' Sakura said, smiling down at him. 'But not for me.'

'Oh, you think you could seduce me for real?' Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Yes. We have a previous relationship and trust with the target has already been established. Also, I have further personal information from knowing you for so long that gives me an edge,' Sakura explained.

'Such as?'

'You have commitment issues. I've never seen you with another person, and even the rumours about you mention that you have a one night stands only policy. However, because I was your student you would be reluctant to break off a relationship with me. Firstly because you hate emotional outbursts and secondly because I would break your legs,' Sakura said with a dangerous smile.

The wary look in Kakashi's eyes made her feel a little guilty, but he had asked for an honest analysis. The question was more on whether or not she would take advantage of her knowledge of his personality and quirks in order to win his bell test. Did he want her to go that far?

'Interesting,' he acknowledged after a few moments. The wariness was now gone from his eyes and were instead piercing through her as he studied her intently. It was as if he was assessing her as a real threat for the very first time and it made her shiver, though whether it was with dread or with anticipation, it was impossible to tell. 'That hit a little too close to home, but your reasoning is certainly sound.'

'Thank you,' Sakura said simply.

'Then it's time to give you the mission parameters,' he said. 'You will need to come at me with serious intent, particularly because I am aware of your strategy. I will give you a week using this method to seduce the bells from me. I will have them on my person at all times. At the end of the week, if you have failed to get the bells from me then we will discuss where to go from there,' Kakashi instructed.

'That sounds fine,' Sakura said.

'Good,' he nodded, a fierce look of pride shining in his eyes. 'You may begin.'


	2. Chapter 2

_You're looking for a way out, I can feel it  
Come on, show me where it hurts, maybe I can heal it_

A Matter of Time - The Killers

* * *

Her first instinct was to run to Ino and begin plotting Kakashi's demise. Unfortunately, this was a mission, so that avenue was closed to her. In a mission she would not have the luxury of consulting her best friend for advice.

Sakura stood at the back window of her new room, contemplating the enigma that was Kakashi Hatake. He was like the overgrown garden she was currently staring at, a tangled snarl of thorns and twisting vines hiding the emotion buried underneath.

She did not think he would be seduced by her body. Sakura knew well that he found her attractive, that his eyes lingered on her chest more often than he liked to admit, but the victory did not lie in sleeping with him. She needed to build a connection, something deeper and more intimate than what was currently between them, until she was so entwined in his life that cutting her away would be like cutting away a part of his own body.

It would be in the little things, she decided. The things that would slip under his skin while she distracted him with dates and smiles and kisses.

Kakashi had been the one to teach her to see underneath the underneath. She wondered how well he had followed his own lesson. He had his weaknesses. She was his cute little Sakura who wore her heart on her sleeve.

Sakura was very protective of the naive, yet stubborn little girl she had once been. Even amid all of that blood and death she had clung to her ideals of romance and good triumphing over evil. Little girls like that needed to be coddled and protected. While she was now a woman, Sakura knew that a part of that girl was still inside her.

The fact that Kakashi still saw her that way would be his downfall. She would use that persona to pursue him while the real Sakura, the fully fledged woman, wove her trap carefully around him.

Not for the first time, she wondered why he had moved back into this place. It had been a very sudden decision and he had refused to discuss it with her. Some of his friends had given him knowing looks that he had ignored, which only served to frustrate her even further.

This new side of him was also confusing. She had resigned herself to never seeing Kakashi's face, let alone getting to know him any better. He was well known for building his walls and keeping everyone very firmly on the other side. It was unlike him to make such an effort to open up. His reasoning that he had done something similar when Naruto joined ANBU rang false to her. She had witnessed no change in their team dynamic since Naruto had joined his new squad. In fact, the blond still called him Kakashi-sensei.

Troubled, Sakura decided to discuss her mission and her concerns with Tsunade. Letting herself silently out of Kakashi's house, she quickly made her way to the Hokage Tower. It was very early, but no doubt Tsunade would already be awake and starting on her paperwork.

Rather than walk through the entire building, Sakura scaled the side and let herself in through the window.

'Taking a leaf from your Captain's book, Sakura?' Tsunade asked from behind her desk, a bemused smirk dancing on her lips.

'It was faster,' Sakura shrugged. She dragged a chair over to her mentor's desk and sat down. She adjusted it slightly to the left so that she could see Tsunade through the towering stacks of paperwork that currently littered her desk. 'Speaking of Kakashi, he's been acting strangely.'

'What's the brat been up to now?' Tsunade scowled.

'He confronted me about ANBU yesterday only a few minutes after I raised it with you. Apparently he's going to prepare me for the test,' Sakura explained.

'Yeah, that's fine, I already agreed to that,' Tsunade said dismissively, most of her attention focused on the paperwork in front of her. As she slowly made her way through it, the papers rustled and regularly threatened to fall. Somehow they never did.

'He made me pack a bag to stay with him, gave me his old bedroom in his childhood home, showed me his face, kissed me and took off his shirt, and then made me strip to my underwear as well so that we could get comfortable with each other,' Sakura stated, noting each point on her fingers.

The rustling of the papers stopped as Tsunade went quite still. 'He what?' She barked.

'And he told me things about himself, willingly. I didn't even ask or torture him or anything,' Sakura exclaimed, on a roll now. 'Then he says he wants me to seduce him, for real!'

'Hmm,' Tsunade mused, casually reaching out and taking a bottle of sake from a hidden shelf in her desk and pouring herself a cup. As she took a sip, her eyes focused on Sakura, almost burning holes into her.

'What is it?' Sakura asked, her eyes widening slightly.

'You've always been a good student, Sakura, and this is important, so listen up. What I'm about to tell you is something that the older generation of this village is well aware of, while the younger generation is kept ignorant until they are old enough to understand. However, I am going to make an exception, because this affects you now,' she began seriously.

'I'm listening,' Sakura nodded. She could tell that Tsunade was in full lecture mode.

'The politics of running a ninja village are very complicated, she continued. 'One of my most important roles as leader of this village is in ensuring that the next generation of Konoha will be strong and healthy. This can require a certain amount of interference in the lives of those ninja that are under my charge.'

'Interference?' Sakura pressed when Tsunade paused to take another sip of sake.

'Yes. Generally ninja are more than capable of finding partners and producing offspring on their own, but some bloodlines are more important than others, and some ninja are more reluctant than others. The brat is both important and reluctant at the same time,' she scowled. 'Once male ninja reach a certain age, normally about 30, without finding a partner or producing any offspring, the council takes a much more active role in encouraging them to do so.'

'Kakashi is 36,' Sakura said with a frown.

'Indeed, the council has been pressuring him more and more to choose a woman and settle down. They're not far off taking him off active status and forcing a woman of their choice on him.'

'A woman of their choice?' Sakura asked, beginning to get angry on her captain's behalf. This interference was beyond ridiculous. What right did those old fogeys have to force a wife on Kakashi?

'Kakashi doesn't find the idea too palatable either,' Tsunade sighed. 'I presume that's why he's testing you out.'

'You think he wants me?' Sakura asked.

'It appears so. The council has been on his case for years to settle down. I think he's taking the opportunity of testing you for ANBU to see whether or not the two of you are suited romantically,' Tsunade said.

'Well Naruto loves Hinata,' Sakura sighed. 'I guess giving it a shot with Kakashi wouldn't be so bad. I trust him and he's quite good looking under that stupid mask. I just find it so weird that the council are encouraging a relationship between a teacher and a student. Don't they frown upon that?'

'To the contrary, they strongly encourage it. But to understand that, you need a bit more history. Kakashi has been ignoring the council for a few years now because he knows the outcome of a match chosen by the council,' Tsunade sighed. She downed the rest of her cup and refilled it. 'Sometimes I think that the Third has a lot to answer for.'

Sakura didn't answer. She had always respected the Third, but she didn't know much about his earlier days as Hokage.

'Kakashi's father was called Sakumo, the White Fang. He was a very strong ninja and was highly valued by the village council. When his prospective bride died in battle, the council interfered and gave him a woman to marry. War was looming, and the village did not want to send him out to fight without first securing his line. Sakumo accepted his duty to the village and gave us Kakashi.'

'Kakashi never talks about him,' Sakura said quietly. She had heard the stories of course, but this information put a whole new light on the circumstances surrounding his suicide. The woman he had loved had been killed and while he was still grieving, a new wife had been forced on him and he had been expected to produce a child.

'Sakumo was a troubled man, and the woman he married was a pretty little fool that the council controlled, and through her, they controlled him. The harsh expectations placed upon Kakashi's head as a child was the direct influence of the council. They expected great things from the child of Sakumo Hatake. Sakumo's guilt and grief caused him to fail a mission where he saved the lives of his comrades rather than complete the mission. He was ridiculed by many ninja in Konoha for his sentimentality.'

'So he killed himself,' Sakura sighed, 'but what happened to his mother?'

'She couldn't stand the shame. The fool requested a dangerous mission outside of the village and was killed in action. It was presumed to be deliberate and was probably on the orders of the council. She had failed to inform the council of Sakumo's depression and had allowed him to die. As punishment, they allowed her to die,' Tsunade frowned.

'So he lost both of his parents at that age?' Sakura asked. Grief for poor little Kakashi welled in her throat and she struggled to keep the emotion at bay. She had known that his life had been a difficult one with a lot of loss, but this was beyond what she had ever considered.

'He was put into Minato's care, who later became the Fourth Hokage. His new teammates both died, and then his teacher,' Tsunade said, pausing to take another sip of sake.

'So much death,' Sakura said.

'Too much,' Tsunade agreed. 'That was when he requested to join ANBU, and foolishly, I believe, the Third agreed. After a while, Hiruzen realised that Kakashi was losing himself there and took him out, forcing him to take a genin team. He failed quite a few of them before finally accepting you three.'

'We passed because we used teamwork,' Sakura remembered with a fond smile.

'You passed because the council threatened to strip him to civilian status if he refused one more team,' Tsunade said gently. 'And it was no mistake that you were in that team, Sakura.'

'What?' Sakura asked, shocked.

'What I am about to tell you goes no further,' Tsunade said, narrowing her eyes slightly. 'This is one of the more distasteful truths of our village, and I would prefer it not to be repeated.'

'I understand,' Sakura said faintly. It was not often that Tsunade trusted her with village secrets.

'The genin teams are chosen very carefully. You were placed in Team Seven for a specific purpose. The Haruno clan, while small, is strong and respected in this village. It is one that has been loyal to Konoha for many generations. It was no coincidence that you were placed with three team mates who were all the last of their lines: Hatake, Uchiha and Namikaze. Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto are all the last member of their clans, and also from three of the strongest clans Konoha has known. It was always expected that you would be partnered with one of them and produce children. Once your decision is clear to the council, they will plan for what will be done about the other two. That is the way it is done in our village, and in many others as well,' Tsunade explained, looking very seriously at her apprentice.

'Unbelievable,' Sakura breathed, unsure whether to feel frightened or betrayed. Sure, she could look at it logically and see the reasoning behind this level of interference in the love lives of their ninja, but to set up young girls from the beginning to choose one of their team mates was going too far. 'What if I hadn't chosen any of them?' She asked incredulously.

'That would depend on who you chose,' Tsunade said grimly. 'The council has ways of making people disappear. Generally, the older ninja are aware of this expectation, so they will keep they will keep their distance unless a female ninja makes a move. Also, male ninja keep others away from their female team mates anyway. I'm sure you've had your fair share of dates ruined by your team mates.'

'It's way too much pressure,' Sakura grumbled.

'You're strong, and you're my apprentice and you've proven yourself time and time again. If you don't choose Kakashi or Naruto, you'll find yourself getting pretty close and personal with the council elders and their second choices for you. Personally, I think you should give Hatake a chance.'

'It's complicated,' Sakura said, staring down at her hands as emotions swirled through her. 'A part of me still sees him as my perverted, lazy, old sensei. I told Kakashi I would try to see past that for the mission he gave me, but it's difficult. What if this mission goes sour and everything changes?'

That was her deepest fear, what had been spinning around in her head all night as she struggled to sleep. What if he decided she had gone too far, or that she was a slut? What if he hated her? What if she fell for him and he was as unfeeling and removed as ever? She knew from experience how much unrequited love destroyed you a little bit more every day. What if he hated her after all this and she drifted even further from Team 7? She was already lonely, losing them entirely would be the last straw for her fragile self-esteem.

'Sakura,' Tsunade said firmly, her eyes glowing with kindness as if she could read the thoughts that were dragging her down. 'I've known you for a long time now. And I know that you would come to regret it if you did not give this your best effort. I can tell you as an older woman with many regrets that you should grab this opportunity with both hands and refuse to let it go. I think that if you did your best to meet him halfway, you would find that Kakashi will be very good for you.'

She allowed her mentor's words to sink in, considering them carefully. Sakura knew how much Tsunade had lost over the years; her little brother, her lover, her team mate. Those losses had taken a large toll on the older woman. Did she want to live a life full of regrets? Did she want to be alone for the rest of her life?

Kakashi had done well to spark her interest the previous day. He had opened up to her and had done his best to make her feel comfortable. She could see how easy it would be to take that step and give a relationship with him an honest try. She could feel herself standing on the edge, almost ready to jump.

'Thank you, Tsunade-sama,' she said, getting to her feet. 'I'll consider everything you told me.'

The older woman nodded seriously and turned back to her paperwork. Sakura let herself out through the window and landed lightly in the street below.

A glance at the sky showed that Konoha was bathed in a pre-dawn glow and the air was still and cool. It was almost time for her to meet her boys for training. It would be bizarre to get back into the rhythm of daily training sessions, like she was going back to her genin days.

Lost in thought, Sakura's feet took her to Training Ground 7 automatically. Even after all these years, her body still knew the way. Back then she had been daydreaming about Sasuke as she walked, and now her attention was focused elsewhere.

This had all been so sudden. Only a few days ago everything had been normal and she'd been summoning up the courage to discuss her idea with Tsunade, and now she was considering entering into a relationship with her former sensei. It was bizarre how quickly things could change.

She wondered what Naruto would think of her and Kakashi potentially being together. Perhaps she should discuss it with him sometime soon, so that she could see what he thought about it before things got too deep.

She also wasn't quite sure how to act around Kakashi around the others. If they were in private then things would be easy, but she would find it embarrassing to hit on him in front of her teammates. Still, he would be just as embarrassed, so perhaps it wouldn't be a complete loss. Sakura decided to tease him a little to see how he would react. Naruto and Sai were both so dense that it would probably go over their heads anyway.

Long before she reached the training ground, she could hear Naruto and Sai bickering. The familiarity of it made her smile.

Naruto spotted her first.

'Sakura-chan, tell Sai that I don't have a small dick!' He yelled, waving to her.

'Naruto, you baka,' she screeched back. 'How the hell would I know something like that? What are you trying to say, huh?'

'Good morning, ugly,' Sai said calmly as she throttled Naruto.

Sakura threw Naruto at Sai and chuckled as they wrestled on the ground, both trying to get to their feet.

It was basically a ritual by now to fool around like this at the start of their training sessions. Even though the guys were both ANBU and were more than capable of being serious, focussed killers, this light-hearted bickering was their way of reconnecting with each other.

'Yo,' Kakashi said, sending a distracted wave at them from where he perched in a nearby tree.

Naruto and Sai disappeared with a pop only half a second after the real Naruto and Sai launched themselves at Kakashi with gleeful yells from higher up in the tree.

Sakura watched with bemusement as the three of them began to run around the field, dodging and exchanging lightening quick blows in a display of speed, reflexes and a lot of swearing.

She shook her head and began her stretches, waiting for them to remember that she was there. After a few minutes, she grew bored, and began some rather unnecessary stretches that Ino had taught her for this exact purpose.

One particular stretch involved putting her leg behind her head, which Kakashi did seem to find interesting considering that he landed at the bottom of a Team 7 pile as Naruto and Sai took advantage of his distraction. Sakura merely smirked and switched legs.

His whimper was almost audible when she turned her back to the three of them and stretched down to touch her toes.

Sakura knew she was being obvious, but she had a feeling that Kakashi expected her to be obvious. It was unlikely that he would consider a young girl like her to be as good at seduction as he was. Anko had taught her that men were far more likely to underestimate a young, beautiful woman, to think their only way of seducing a man was in blatant, sexual advances.

Kakashi should know better, having gone through ANBU training, but he had always underestimated what she was capable of when she was a genin. Though she had hinted at how good she was, it was unlikely that he had believed her truly capable.

The appreciation in his eyes was obvious as she finished her stretching and re-joined the boys. Even as they paired off and began sparring, Sakura was more aware of his scrutiny. In the past she had noticed him looking at her every now and again, but now the feel of his eyes on her body burned.

Perhaps Tsunade was right, and he was seriously considering her as a partner.

He ran her through a number of drills and spars, barely letting her rest. They went from physical sparring, to using genjutsu, to dodging, and then finally, to hiding from Naruto, who was intent on all of them going to Ichiraku, _for breakfast._

Sai had already been caught, but the blond was now streaking through the forest, yelling their names loudly as they smothered their childish giggles behind their fingers from their hiding spot under the large group of trees that Sakura had demolished during their training session.

'Whatever,' Naruto eventually growled, unable to find them. He grabbed Sai and brightened instantly. 'More for us, eh Sai?!'

Sakura stifled a snort of amusement into Kakashi's shirt as the arguing of the two boys began to fade into the distance.

When she was finally able to stop laughing, she realised that Kakashi was looking at her with intense focus.

'What is it?' She asked, meeting his gaze.

He just blinked and she realised, suddenly, that their bodies were pressed quite closely together, and that Kakashi's firm, toned body was in her immediate proximity. Sakura gave him a playful smile.

Kakashi turned onto his side and looked down at her. Again she was dazzled by his attractiveness as he lowered his mask and he returned her smile with one of his own. Hidden from sight as they were, cradled by the ground and covered with a roof of fallen trees, Sakura felt bold.

She reached her arms up around his neck and gently tugged him closer, pressing her lips against his in a teasing caress.

His response was to pull her legs around him as he settled himself between her legs, pressing her into the ground as he returned her kiss with a hard, sensuous kiss. Sakura hooked her legs around his hips and moaned as Kakashi rewarded her with a roll of his hips.

Distantly, she wondered at how any woman would ever be alright with only one night of this. Kakashi was clearly a man of passion and experience. Every kiss and caress was only causing her to feel hotter for him. The way that he had her pinned meant that she could feel every inch of his wonderful body against hers, and quite a few inches were currently rubbing against the junction of her thighs.

This was so much better than the small, flirty, teasing kisses she had planned. Kissing a man was so different to kissing guys her own age, and a great deal better than making out with a mark to convince him to go somewhere a little quieter. It was difficult to see him as just her old perverted sensei now. He was definitely a man, and a ridiculously attractive one at that. Sakura was quite happy right where she was.

As he coaxed her mouth open and lightly flicked his tongue against hers, Sakura decided to throw thinking out the window and just enjoy the experience.

She slid her hands into his thick, luxurious hair and returned his kiss with fervour. Every lick of his tongue made her toes curl with pleasure and she sighed and moaned with every press of his hips into hers.

After a few minutes of kissing and groping that ended with her top gaping open and her hands under his shirt, Kakashi pulled away slightly, looking down at her through lidded eyes. They both panted for breath, and Sakura wanted nothing more to pull him back but the uncertainty in his eyes made her pause.

For a moment the kunoichi in her stretched lazily and turned her perceptive green eyes to Kakashi, analysing his every movement as if he were a mark. Even for an elite ninja, Kakashi was still a man, and one that was currently struggling to think through the haze of lust. She had already located the bells hidden in the lining of his jacket. It would be so easy to win.

Slowly, she pulled her hands out from underneath his shirt. He closed his eyes and shuddered against her. She could feel his lust in the shake of his hands and in the feel of his breath ghosting against her lips. He teetered on the edge of giving in.

It wouldn't take much. The press of her tongue on his pulse. A sigh of need in his ear. A slight movement of her hips and he would be hers.

If he were her mark, truly, she would have done it and thought no more of it. But this was Kakashi, and there was the possibility of the future, a real future with this man dancing just beyond reach. She would have to decide whether or not she wanted this before she burned them both.

The kunoichi retreated like a prowling feline, danger and power rippling just behind her eyes. Sakura refocussed her eyes to find Kakashi looking down at her.

'You almost had me, didn't you?' He asked her softly, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

'I let you go,' she teased.

He chuckled and slowly pulled himself off of her, flopping on the ground beside her once more. She missed the heat of his body but appreciated the gesture as well. There was still plenty of time to convince him that she was ready for ANBU, and a whole lifetime in front of them for dancing around their potential feelings for each other.

They both needed to time to decide if this was what they really wanted.

The air was cool against her chest so Sakura adjusted her shirt to cover herself once more. She turned her head slightly to look at Kakashi. He was looking up at the sky through the gaps of the tree trunks that hid them. The same uncertainty that had caused her to pull back was in his eyes once again.

Again, Sakura wondered at his openness. She was so used to him being a closed book that she had rarely been able to read. To see emotion in his eyes so readily now was bizarre.

'What is it?' She asked.

'The way you were looking at me,' he said after a moment, 'I know it so well. That hyperawareness that you're capable of when you've got your mark right where you want them. You know exactly what you need to do to push them over.'

Sakura nodded in agreement. He was describing a feeling that she had become quite accustomed to in her line of work. The power of seduction was a heady thing when combined with ninja senses and reflexes.

'I've been there more times than I can remember.' He said quietly. Finally he turned his head to meet her gaze. Kakashi took a deep breath and continued.

'It's never gone any further than that. I would use that moment of weakness to either kill them or hypnotise them with my sharingan and get the information I need,' he explained. His expression was sombre but she could also sense discomfort. Sakura thought about what he was saying, and what he hadn't said.

'Wait,' she said, 'you've never-'

'Never,' he sighed. 'I was never used for the long term missions because I was always needed on mission after mission. They didn't want to part with my skills for long enough for work that others could do. I was more specialised, I guess. I always told myself that it proved that I was good at what I did, that I never needed to take that step to complete the mission. It seems pretty foolish now.'

Sakura ran her tongue over the roof of her mouth, deep in thought. The image that she had been building of him shattered in the mirror of the truth. There had been no one night stands. He was no Casanova or sex god. Still gorgeous and a great kisser, but so much more romantic and fragile than she had ever considered. That uncertainty in his eyes, he had never done this before. Not in any way that was real and meaningful. Kakashi had been so deeply affected by the failed marriage of his parents that he had never opened himself up to love before.

No wonder he had resisted the council for so long. Her heart broke for him all over again. Of all the people she knew, it was he who most deserved love, though the silly man would never admit it out loud. She thought that Tsunade was right. He wanted her, and the love that they might share together, he just didn't know how to ask for it.

It touched her deeply that he was willing to try for a relationship with her after everything that he had been through.

'Kakashi,' she said, reaching to take his hand and thread their fingers together. 'Thank you.'

He said nothing, only squeezed her hand. Sakura smiled and squeezed it back.

For now, it was enough.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_And if you love me then please let me know _  
_Cause I believe that my heart is your home February_  
\- The Getaway Plan

It was bizarre for Sakura to spend an entire day away from the hospital. She felt a little bereft, but Kakashi managed to distract her. Sakura shadowed him for a day and was surprised to see that he actually kept quite busy. She had always thought that he spent all of his time up in a tree somewhere goofing off, but it wasn't the case.

As a senior ninja, he had a lot of duties. Sakura was astounded to discover that he was in charge of co-coordinating between ANBU and the Hokage, and all day operatives flashed in to report to him. She had thought that this was Tsunade's responsibility, but apparently she had been delegating to Kakashi more and more in recent years.

It sobered Sakura to realise that despite appearances, Tsunade really was getting on in years. It was only a matter of time before she retired and when she did, she would want to know that the village was being run efficiently in her absence.

Sakura gained a lot of insight into the running of the village in that afternoon. The two of them went over the defenses of the village in meticulous detail. Since the last war, security had really been stepped up. They were stopped by patrol after patrol to verify their identities and never by the same team twice.

It made Sakura glad that the lax security of her genin days was a thing of the past. No more would two members of a terrorist organisation be able to sneak into the village virtually unhindered.

She stood by Kakashi's side as he listened to another report and watched the ANBU carefully as he talked with Kakashi. The way that he stood seemed familiar to her, and she was trying to pick his voice from her memory.

Sakura's eye trailed up and down his body, taking in every aspect of his uniform and equipment. He had light brown hair that looked to be about shoulder length and around his waist was a belt that carried a large amount of senbon. She had a feeling that if he had been in a different uniform that she would have had no difficulty in recognising him.

'Like what you see?' He asked, his voice oozing charm as thick as honey.

There weren't many guys that she knew that had the guts to speak to her that way.

'Genma, delightful as always,' she said, rolling her eyes.

'Aw, babe,' he said, she could practically hear his self-satisfied smirk, 'you know you want this.' He gestured down to his crotch.

Sakura cracked her knuckles and raised one challenging eyebrow at him.

'Gotta go, bye!' Genma yelled over his shoulder as he streaked off as fast as his legs could carry him.

For a second, Sakura considered giving chase. She did enjoy the satisfaction of sending Genma flying off across the village with the flick of a single finger. But before she could really decide he had already vanished from sight.

'He's gotten faster,' she commented with a wry grin.

'Uh, something I should know about?' Kakashi asked warily.

'Believe me, if there was anything to know about between Genma and I, the whole village would already know,' Sakura said.

'Good point,' Kakashi chuckled sheepishly.

'Were you worried?' Sakura teased.

'Course not,' Kakashi scoffed. Sakura laughed, linking her arm through his as they continued to the next checkpoint.

They parted late afternoon as Kakashi was called away for a top-secret meeting. Sakura smiled and waved as he vanished from sight and then began to walk aimlessly around the village.

It shouldn't have surprised her how much she had enjoyed spending the day with Kakashi, but it had. This new version of Kakashi was a real eye-opener. She had never really known him, not really. Her qualms about dating Kakashi had been based on the man she had thought that she knew. That Kakashi was a lazy pervert who was always late and skipped out on paying for meals. The one that was slowly opening up to her was like a completely different man. He was still eccentric and awkward, but she was able to see the man behind the facade a lot more clearly now. She could see the fierce loyalty to his village and comrades. Evident now was the hard-working, sensitive, capable man that Kakashi truly was.

Her attraction to him was growing with every revelation.

It took Sakura a few minutes to realise that she was being followed. She gave no indication of her awareness, continuing down the street in a casual fashion. Instead of giving the game away and glancing over her shoulder, she sent out minuscule spikes of chakra to examine her surroundings. She could sense no ill-intent but there were definitely at least two ninja following her.

Most likely Kakashi was testing her awareness and abilities in a situation where she normally wouldn't be expected to be on guard. She would demonstrate her skills quite happily.

Sakura paused by a busy food stall as if the smell of food had enticed her. In the bustle of the crowd waiting for their food, she created a clone to stand in line while she cast a mild genjutsu on her face. Now looking like a little old civilian woman, she smacked her lips as if she had just finished her food and hobbled down the street the way she had come. At the same time, her clone finished her transaction and continued her walk with steaming hot food in hand.

The two ninja that she had sensed followed her clone down the street without a single pause. Either she had gotten good, or the quality of ninja around here had really dropped, she mused. She decided to mention it to Kakashi when she saw him later.

She smiled five minutes later as she dispersed her clone and considered the panic and confusion that would set in as those ninja realised that they had been set up.

With a spring to her step, she slowly made her way across the village towards Kakashi's home. However, she soon realised that there were more than just two ninja looking for her.

Ducking into a small park and hiding in the bushes, Sakura cut her chakra presence and waited. Naruto had taught her a little about natural chakra over the past year. Though she was nowhere near as proficient at using sage chakra as he was, she was able to siphon off small amounts of it to disguise her chakra signature. Only those who were well versed in such things would be able to detect her. With the way she was radiating natural chakra, someone could be standing right over her and they would sense only leaves and flowers and other growing things. It was a handy skill.

A number of ninja ran down the street, cursing loudly. She recognised a few of them as ninja who had reported to Kakashi earlier.

'Damn,' a tall blond one cursed, 'she's onto us.' He ran one hand through his hair, messing it up in his frustration.

A shorter man with black hair and pale eyes carefully looked around. Despite his care, his eyes skimmed over her hiding place with no hint of recognition in his eyes.

'Looks that way,' he agreed gruffly. 'The boss will be pissed.'

A third ninja ran up to them, panting as she paused in front of them. Sakura recognised her as one of the ninja who had been following her earlier.

'You lost her as well,' the gruff man said, his eyes narrowing.

'It was a clone,' the woman explained.

'She's a quick one,' the first man said in an admiring tone, shaking his blond hair back into place.

'Well she can't have gone far. Split up and continue the search. Radio in to the others and let them know the search isn't over yet. Giving up is not an option,' he ordered.

With a nod, the woman relayed the information into her radio and the three ninja dispersed.

Sakura frowned as she thought over what she had witnessed. This seemed a little extreme for Kakashi. Sure, he might send an ANBU or two after her for a little test, but this was a little more widespread than that. These guys were acting like it was life or death to track her down.

Her suspicions raised, Sakura decided to give her favourite blonde a friendly visit.

Ghosting through the village on high alert, she reached the florist with no interruptions. As she slipped through the door, she caught her best friend red-handed.

'No sign as of yet, boss,' said a young kunoichi with a meek voice. She was seated at a station with a radio and pen and paper in front of her, writing reports. Ino stood with her back to the door, hands on her hips.

'Tell them to find her or I'll rip them apart,' the blonde yelled.

'Yes, boss,' the girl said, cowering away from the older woman.

'Ahem,' Sakura coughed delicately, causing Ino to whirl around and glare at her. 'You rang?'

'Where the hell have you been?' Ino growled, wagging a finger in her face menacingly.

'Here and there,' Sakura said vaguely. 'I was just enjoying a pleasant walk when about half of the ninja of this esteemed village started trying to track me down. Figured you were in a strop about something.'

'A strop,' Ino said in a menacing tone, 'I'll show you a real strop, little girl.'

Few things irritated Sakura more than being called a little girl. It targeted all of her insecurities about not being good enough and being left behind by her friends and teammates. The two women glared at each other, teeth bared and fists clenched.

'Such a pathetic drama queen as always,' Sakura snarled. 'No wonder you can't keep a man.'

'At least I can get one,' Ino said with a sneer.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed the younger kunoichi inching around them to scramble for the door. She let out a loud, relieved sigh once she was outside before tearing off down the street.

Once she was gone, Sakura cracked a smile while Ino burst out laughing.

Still chuckling, the two girls moved to the back of the shop and flopped down on the chairs in the kitchen. As Ino busied herself with fetching some biscuits and tea, Sakura wondered how much she could really tell Ino. The things that Tsunade had told her had been done so in the understanding that she keep these revelations to herself. She also wanted to tell Ino about Kakashi, but this seduction was supposed to be a mission, and therefore also confidential.

Ino set a cup of tea in front of Sakura and placed a plate of sugar biscuits on the table between them. She sat opposite her friend and looked at her with knowing eyes. They had been through too much together to keep secrets from each other, and yet Sakura was bound to keep her confidences.

'I can't tell you much,' Sakura said quietly. For a moment, she was worried that Ino wouldn't accept it. There were rumours that Ino was being groomed to take Ibiki's position in T&amp;I. What hope did Sakura have against all of the blonde's new skills? She would have to spill every last detail or Ino would have her strapped to a table screaming out all of her deepest and darkest secrets in moments.

'I know,' Ino said. Sakura smiled with relief. 'But you've got to give me something, here, forehead. It's Kakashi!'

'I don't know what this thing with Kakashi is at the moment, but I know what it could be,' Sakura said, meeting Ino's gaze resolutely. 'I won't let anyone interfere until I make up my mind.'

'What about Sasuke?' Ino asked, looking skeptical. 'I thought after everything that you were going to wait for him.'

'Maybe if he had stayed then things would be different,' Sakura looked down at her hands, clenched into fists, 'but he left, again. There's been no word from him at all for years now.'

Sakura squeezed her eyes closed, holding back the combination of sadness, humiliation and anger that filled her every time she thought of Sasuke these days. Sure, he was back to being one of the good guys, but there was still no place in his life for her. Nothing had changed, really.

'I just can't live that way anymore,' she whispered.

'Sakura,' Ino said softly. She looked back at her friend, her eyes watering, and met Ino's gaze. There was sympathy and compassion in her eyes, and they shared a watery smile. 'Look at you,' Ino laughed, 'so grown up and mature now.'

'Shut up,' Sakura muttered, blushing lightly. She swiped at eyes, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall.

They both drank their tea for a few minutes in quiet contemplation, allowing them to think and regain control of their emotions.

A flare of chakra made the two of them look up towards the window where an ANBU operative was perched on the windowsill.

'Haruno-san, Yamanaka-san, you are both needed at the Hokage's office,' the ANBU said.

'Thank you, ANBU-san,' Ino nodded, rising to her feet. The operative returned her nod and disappeared with a puff of smoke.

She turned to Sakura and raised her eyebrows. 'Maybe we have a mission?' She suggested with a shrug.

'That would be weird,' Sakura said with a frown, following Ino as she locked up the shop and started walking towards the Hokage tower. 'Tsunade-sama knows that Kakashi gave me a mission.'

'Something more important could have come up,' Ino said.

'Hmm, I suppose that's true. It's hardly a life or death kind of mission,' Sakura mused. 'Must be important if they want both of us though.'

'Let's go find out,' Ino said with a mischievous smirk. 'Race you!' They shrieked with laughter as they raced across the rooftops. As with all other things, they were evenly matched, and they reached the door of the Hokage's office at the same time.

'After you,' Sakura smirked, opening the door for her friend. Ino graciously walked through the door, a smile on her face. Not so long ago, a race like that would have descended into ugly remarks and taunts. Their friendship had grown so much stronger over the years.

In front of the Hokage stood several familiar faces. There was Kakashi and Gai standing next to Tsunade's desk, with Naruto, Sai, Lee, and Shikamaru standing opposite them. The girls took their places beside their teammates and looked at Tsunade expectantly.

'Thank you for responding so promptly, everyone,' Tsunade said. Sakura bit her lip, concerned by the frown on her mentor's face. She only ever looked this worried when something bad had happened.

'There's a situation over in Kiri,' she said solemnly. 'Mei has received dire threats from an organisation calling themselves 'The Seven'. She believes that this group is attempting to revive the Seven Swordsmen and are now targeting Chojuro to kill him and take his sword. They are also demanding the return of a hostage that was taken after the end of the war.' Tsunade explained.

'Who's the hostage?' Naruto asked, frowning.

'That information has not been released to us,' Tsunade said.

'Well that's helpful,' Naruto muttered sarcastically.

'There is little known about this group. None of the members have been identified as of yet. Your mission will be to put your ears to the ground and discover who leads this group, what their aims are and where they can be found. No one wants a repeat of Akatsuki,' Tsunade said, looking grim.

Sakura could understand now why so many people had been called to the Hokage's office. It was difficult to tell what skills would be required for a mission like this. Kakashi and Gai were both experienced ninja who knew a lot about reconnaissance, and they would both have many contacts. Shikamaru was a genius and capable of great leaps of knowledge from only a few scraps of information. Naruto, Sai and Lee were all very strong, and would be useful as back-up. She and Ino were there in case their kunoichi skills were required for infiltrating this group.

'You leave in two hours,' she instructed. 'I don't need to tell you all how important this could be for Konoha.' Tsunade paused, looking at them all, one by one, then she nodded, giving them a grim smile. 'Ino, can you stay behind, please?'

Taking this as the dismissal it was, the rest filtered out of the office. Sakura stood between Kakashi and Naruto, feeling slightly ill.

'They think Sasuke is part of it, don't they?' She asked, looking at Kakashi.

'Yes,' Kakashi said. 'It's quite likely that he's involved in this somehow.'

'Don't worry, Sakura,' Naruto said with a scowl. 'We'll sort him out and bring him back once and for all.'

'He doesn't want to come back, Naruto. As far as he's concerned, there's nothing for him here,' Sakura said.

'There's us,' Naruto said fiercely. 'We're his family.'

"If he cares about us like family, then where is he, Naruto? Why wouldn't he come home with us?' Sakura yelled. Why was it so difficult to Naruto to grasp that Sasuke didn't want them? It had been almost six years since he had left the village to join Orochimaru in his quest for power and despite learning that revenge lead to nothing but more anger and more sadness, he had never returned.

It was no longer endearing to hear Naruto declare that he would bring Sasuke home no matter what. It was pathetic. They'd wasted so much time on someone who didn't want them.

'I never thought that you of all people would give up on Sasuke,' Naruto said, looking at her sadly. 'Come on, Sai,' he muttered. They left, not looking back to where Sakura and Kakashi stood.

Sakura sighed, allowing the tension to ease from her body. There was no point arguing with Naruto over this. He had made up his mind years ago. Once, she would have joined him in defending Sasuke to her last breath, but now she was tired of it.

She was finally ready to move on from that chapter of her life.

'Are you alright?' Kakashi asked.

'I hate fighting with Naruto,' she said, biting her lip as she looked down the hallway where he had gone.

'Oh,' he said, looking awkward. He avoided her gaze, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. He only ever did that when he was embarrassed or uncomfortable.

'What?' She asked.

'I thought you might have been upset about Sasuke,' he replied. Sakura studied him, her mind racing. Why would Kakashi be acting weird about this?

He wasn't as vocal about it, but just like Naruto he had always believed that Sasuke would come back. She thought it was because Sasuke reminded him so much of himself as a teenager. It didn't help that he had always blamed himself for allowing Sasuke to leave. Kakashi had always taken their defeats on his own shoulders.

Unlike Sasuke, Kakashi was a good man. Kakashi was real, and he was strong and loyal and worthy of her respect and admiration. In comparison, Sasuke was a childish fantasy.

'I've moved on,' she said honestly. Kakashi met her gaze slowly, searching her face for the truth.

'You've moved on?' He asked, clearly baffled.

Sakura smirked at him, wondering if he truly believed that she would be flirting with him and trying to seduce him, mission aside, if she hadn't been ready to move on. First Genma, and now Sasuke. His clear insecurity was endearing.

'Didn't you get the memo, Kakashi? I like older men now.' She winked at him and he laughed.

'I don't recall a memo,' he said, returning her teasing with his own.

'I think it came when I was sitting on your lap with my boobs in your face,' she said, giving him a wicked smile.

'Well, well, Sakura,' Ino said, stepping out of the Hokage's office, 'I didn't know you had it in you.'

Kakashi blushed and gave her a wave as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The girls linked arms, snickering at his expense as they left the Hokage tower.

'See you later, forehead,' Ino yelled as she took off down the street. Sakura waved, still smiling as she walked towards her parent's place. She always kept a bag packed ready for missions so all she really needed to do was pick up some food and let her parents know that she was leaving on a mission.

It took ten minutes to walk to her parent's house. They preferred living in the quieter part of the village, near the civilian quarters. Sakura let herself in without knocking.

'Anyone home?' She called out.

'Out the back, dear,' her mother called back.

Sakura walked through the house to the back garden. Her parents were sitting on the back porch, sipping tea.

'Hi mum,' Sakura said warmly, leaning down to kiss her mother's cheek.

'You look well, dear,' Mebuki said, patting her cheek fondly.

'Thanks,' Sakura smiled. She kissed her father's cheek and sat down opposite her parents.

'Do you have a mission?' Kizashi asked as he passed her a cup of tea.

'Yeah, Tsunade-sama isn't sure how long it will take. I could be gone for a few weeks or longer,' Sakura sighed.

'Not too dangerous, I hope?' Her mother asked, looking concerned.

'Hard to tell, but I'll be with Kakashi and Naruto,' Sakura said. She drank some of her tea, relishing the unique blend that her parents used.

'Oh good,' she said, looking relieved. 'Your boys will look after you.'

'They're men, now, dear,' Kizashi said, laughing loudly at the outraged look on his daughter's face.

'I don't need anyone to look after me,' she sniffed, looking offended.

'Of course not,' Mebuki said, smiling, 'you know I was only teasing.'

'She falls for it every time,' her father chortled.

'Shut up, dad,' Sakura muttered, her cheeks turning red, drinking some more of her tea. She placed the cup down on the table and rose to her feet.

'Going so soon?' Her mother asked, pouting.

'I'm sorry. We're leaving really soon. I really just wanted to come by and let you know I was leaving,' Sakura explained regretfully.

'We appreciate it,' her father beamed. 'They do let us know, eventually, but we do worry when we don't see you for a while.'

'I know, dad,' Sakura said, leaning down to kiss his cheek again. 'I'll see you in a few weeks hopefully.

'Be safe, dear,' her mother said, rising to embrace her warmly.

'I will,' Sakura promised.

She said her goodbyes and let herself out. With a quick stop at the grocery store to buy some supplies, Sakura made her way towards Kakashi's house.

Using the key that Kakashi had given her, Sakura let herself into the house. The first thing she saw was a pile of weapons placed right near the door.

'Packing pretty heavy there, aren't you Kakashi?' She teased as she watched him walk down the stairs with even more weapons.

'Well, it's not really the sort of mission where you want to run out,' he explained. 'Do you have time to help me seal them into scrolls?'

Sealing jutsu wasn't really Sakura's specialty, but under Kakashi's guidance when she was younger, she had learned enough to be able to seal away weapons. It made travelling so much easier, especially when she was undercover. Rather than the tell-tale clink of weapons in her bags, there was only the rustle of the scrolls. Far more innocent.

'Sure,' she replied, 'I always keep a bag ready with the basics. I'll just finish that off and then join you in here.'

Kakashi nodded absently, and Sakura walked over to her new room to pack the rest of her things into her bag.

Her bag always carried the essentials. A sleeping bag, water bottle and her specialised soldier pills. It also contained a medical kit with bandages, needle and thread, and antidotes for common poisons, for those times when she was either exhausted, needed to conserve her strength, or, god forbid, she was unconscious and one of her team members needed to patch someone up.

Then there were a few other things such as tiny satiny or lacy underwear, a small make-up kit, and other such necessities for her more risqué missions. This was kept in a small bag down near the bottom of her bag so that the items would be not be discovered by her teammates or become dirty or damaged.

Finally, she would pack in some food. This included protein and muesli bars, packets of trail mix, and some strawberry pocky. She always packed more than she would need, especially when she went on a mission with team 7. Naruto only ever packed instant ramen and would always whinge when he inevitably ran out. There were only so many of those that would fit into his bag.

She wondered if he had ever considered sealing them into a scroll. Not that she would suggest it to him. His nutrition was poor as it was.

Finishing up with her bag, she placed it near the front door and joined Kakashi in the lounge room where he was slowly but surely placing all of his weapons into scrolls. Sealing small weapons such as throwing stars and kunai didn't take a lot of chakra but it could get tiring after a while.

Sakura was happy to help Kakashi shoulder the load, especially as he often took the biggest targets during battles. He needed to be well rested and have a multitude of sharp, pointy things.

She sat opposite him, grabbing an armful of weapons and scrolls and starting her work. Between the two of them, they managed to get the rest done in twenty minutes.

Kakashi was in his full uniform, so he placed the scrolls throughout all of the pockets that he had built into his clothes. Watching him, even Sakura was astounded at where he placed some of these scrolls.

She supposed that it made sense though. In the heat of a battle, spending more than half a second reaching for a weapon could be fatal. Kakashi had weapon scrolls placed over most of his body. No matter how he was contorted during a fight, he would have access to some sort of weapon.

No wonder he had never been captured. He was practically never unarmed.

Though she did wonder if there had ever been a situation where he had run out of weapons, and that was why he was so particular about it now. He must spend most of his pay at the weapon smiths, looking at the array of weapons he had at his disposal.

'It's almost time to meet the others,' Kakashi said once he was finally done.

'Yeah, let's go,' Sakura agreed. She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulders. Kakashi locked the house up and they began walking towards the front gate of the village.

On the way there, Sakura started snickering.

'What?' Kakashi asked, looking puzzled.

'For once, you're actually going to be on time for a mission,' Sakura explained, grinning up at him.

Kakashi rolled his eyes as she laughed at him.

When they arrived at the front gate, Shikamaru, Gai and Lee were already waiting.

'Hey guys,' Sakura said, plopping down by the bench where they were patiently waiting.

'Hey,' they chorused in response. Kakashi and Gai began playing rock, paper, scissors to pass the time. Naruto and Ino would take a while to come, and Sai was probably at the calligraphy store getting a hold of the special ink that he used for his creations.

Lee grew bored and started walking around on his hands, occasionally glancing over at Sakura to see if she was watching (she was) and if she was impressed (she wasn't).

She turned to Shikamaru as her only hope for intelligent conversation.

'How have you been, Shikamaru?' She asked.

'Busy, tired, same as usual,' he sighed. He was lying on his back, staring up at the clouds that were drifting across the sky.

'Bet you don't get much time for sky-gazing with how busy Tsunade-sama has been keeping you,' she snickered.

'Every time I get within sight of my meadow, some ANBU punk hunts me down and calls me back to her office,' he complained. 'It's a nightmare.'

'Poor Shika,' Sakura teased. 'Has to work hard just like the rest of us now.'

'What a drag,' he muttered.

'Hey guys,' Ino said as she walked up to them. She pushed Shikamaru's legs off the bench and sat down gracefully. He sat up with a sigh, putting his hands behind his head as he continued to look up at the sky.

'Took you long enough, Ino,' Sakura teased.

'Whatever,' the blonde said dismissively. 'I'm not even the last one.'

'True, it's nearly time to leave. I wonder where those knuckleheads are,' Sakura said with a frown.

Almost as soon as she finished her sentence she could hear them coming, bickering loudly as usual.

Rather than yell at them for it, Sakura stood up and walked over to Kakashi and Gai.

'Looks like we're all here now,' she told them.

They stopped their ridiculous game (apparently Kakashi was winning once again) and turned to look at the gathered ninjas.

'Alright everyone,' Kakashi said. 'Our aim today is to reach the border. We'll camp at one of the outposts and decide where to go from there. I don't anticipate any trouble, at least for tonight anyway.'

Everyone nodded in agreement, and with one final look back at the village, they took the trees and started their mission.


	4. Chapter 4

_If I could fly, I'd be coming right back home to you_

_I think I might give up everything, just ask me to_

If I could fly - One Direction

* * *

It basically went without saying that the guys fanned out as they ran with the girls in the middle of their formation. Over the years, Sakura had given up protesting. Tsunade had long since drilled the importance of protecting the medic into her.

Instead, she focused on gracefully leaping from branch to branch through the large, leafy trees that filled the forest around Konoha as she and her team mates made their way towards the border of Fire. Well, that and on the glimpses of Kakashi she caught through the foliage. Now that her attention had been piqued, she could see more and more of the appeal of a relationship with her mentor.

For a man in his mid-thirties, Kakashi was incredibly fit. Though his body was covered in scars, a hazard of the job, it was trim and athletic. She was quite enjoying the rear view as well. He was fully clothed, of course, but Sakura had a vivid imagination.

Her mission would be more of a challenge with all of these people hindering her progress, but Sakura relished the challenge. She could not remember the last time her skills had been so sorely tested. It also gave her a chance to gather more data, particularly in his interactions with those closest to him. His friendship with Gai would likely prove most interesting. Sure, Gai was goofy but he was intelligent and had been a good friend to Kakashi for many years. Few people would know the white-haired ninja as well as him.

She wondered idly if Kakashi had confided his interest in her to his closest friend. She had always thought him reserved, but if this last few days had taught her nothing else, she did not know him as well as she had thought. Perhaps he was more open with those he was closest to.

'This is going to be the most boring mission ever if you're stuck in your own head the whole time,' Ino drawled from a few metres away.

'I have a lot on my mind,' Sakura defended, her eyes flicking from Ino back to Kakashi.

'Talking about it might help,' Ino countered.

'Not when we're surrounded by guys with super sensitive ninja hearing it won't,' Sakura pointed out, turning slightly to raise an eyebrow at her blonde friend.

Ino took the hint, and caught her gaze. Sakura felt a light flutter in her mind as Ino's mind connected with hers. Over the years, Ino had perfected her family technique of mind control. Her precise chakra control coupled with a sharp, disciplined mind had allowed her to completely master the technique.

Currently she was skimming the surface of Sakura's mind as well as lightly broadcasting her own thoughts to her friend. The only reason that Sakura even noticed the probe was familiarity with the feel of Ino's chakra over many missions. It was beyond useful to communicate silently with each other in tricky situations, or at times like this when they wanted to discretely discuss their love lives while their nosy friends listened in.

~I'm not sure what to do, Ino,~ Sakura said. ~It's Kakashi of all people. Seducing him is one thing but Tsunade was talking long term, married with three kids kind of business.~

~At first I was taken aback,~ Ino mused, ~but it makes sense in a way. Sasuke is a no hoper, Naruto is too hyper, and well, Sai is just clueless. Kakashi is the most sensible out of the four.~

~You make it sound like I have no choice,~ Sakura grumbled.

~Don't get me wrong, Sakura, Kakashi is a catch. I think you'd be crazy not to go for it,~ Ino replied.

~Maybe,~ Sakura replied, ~I just want to be sure. He's opened up a lot to me the past couple of days and I've seen this whole other side of Kakashi. I don't want to hurt him. He's so much more fragile than any of us ever realised.~

~That's not surprising, really. His loved ones have a habit of disappearing on him,~ Ino said gently.

~I know,~ Sakura sighed, ~There's so many layers to this- Kakashi, the village, the elders- I don't want to feel pressured into anything. There's chemistry there between us, but I want to make sure we're compatible before I commit to anything.~

~I don't think there's anything wrong with treading carefully, Forehead, just don't take too long to make up your mind. There's no telling what will happen if you delay too long. Like you said, there's a lot of people that have a vested interest in your potential relationship with Kakashi. Plus life's just too short,~ Ino said frankly.

~Maybe you should take your own advice, Pig,~ Sakura muttered, flashing a look to the left where Sai flanked them. He felt her eyes on him and met her gaze, giving her one of his blank smiles.

~Like I said, completely clueless,~ Ino growled, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Sakura rolled her eyes as Ino cut the connection.

Elite super ninjas did not need breaks, according to Kakashi Hatake. Sakura was beginning to think that the only reason that he had ever stopped regularly when they were genin was so that Naruto would stop whining. Though she agreed that they did not need breaks anywhere near as often these days, running for twelve hours straight was a bit of a stretch for a slightly out of shape medic nin such as herself.

Thankfully, they had started to encounter patrols from the border and she had been given a few reprieves to catch her breath as Kakashi showed the relevant identity documents to the patrolling ninjas.

Still, Kakashi missed nothing with those piercing eyes of his and raised an eyebrow at her appraisingly. Sakura had a feeling that there would be a lot more exercise in her future training sessions.

After another half an hour of running, Kakashi dropped down to the ground. The rest of them leapt down to his side, their eyes carefully scanning the surrounding forest. A low whistle interrupted the silence, and Kakashi's tense shoulders relaxed as he whistled back.

Suddenly two kunoichi appeared through the trees and approached them. Sakura was surprised to see two kunoichi at a border patrol. It was rare to see so many kunoichi out in one area - outside of the academy or the hospital anyway.

The first was quite tall for a woman with brown hair in two pigtails. Sakura noticed her assessing glance and met the other woman's eyes with determination. Everything about this stranger, from her stance to her odd orange flecked glare screamed confidence and arrogance.

The other ninja was not as tall or as intimidating. She had mousy brown hair and light blue eyes. She made herself seem small, but Sakura could see the intelligence in her eyes. A glance over the two of them made it obvious that the taller one was the flash and bang to draw all of the attention while the smaller one went unnoticed. Sakura could appreciate the strategy that went into pairing these two together.

They talked to Kakashi in low voices and then turned to lead them back into the forest. After travelling for a few minutes they came to a small clearing surrounded by incredibly thick, tall trees. High above them was a base camp for the ninjas that patrolled along the border. Far enough in that the trees were still quite high but not too far from the coast that they could not keep a wary eye on the traffic coming off the ships from Mist into Fire country.

'Come on,' Ino said, nudging Sakura. As she had been staring up into the trees, Kakashi and the others had been organising their brief stay with the two kunoichi and were moving up into the incredibly tall trees.

Sakura focused chakra into her feet and easily followed them up.

It did not take long to reach the tree houses where they were staying for the night. Sakura dumped her bag in the small room she was sharing with Ino and walked over to the viewing platform where Kakashi was standing.

'It's a lovely view,' Sakura said, staring out over the trees to the ocean beyond. It had been just before sundown when they left Konoha and now the sun was just starting to come up over the water, lighting the sky in soft pinks and purples.

'It is,' Kakashi agreed. 'One of the few things that make living out here worthwhile.'

'You've stayed out here before?' Sakura asked, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.

'After I left ANBU,' he admitted.

Sakura nodded, acknowledging him as she stared around her with a more discerning eye. This would have been a good place to recuperate from so much death and blood while still feeling useful. Much better than being in the village with so many judgmental eyes on you.

'We'll stop here for a while and have something to eat and a few hours of rest,' Kakashi said.

'How long will it take us to reach the port?' Sakura asked.

'Another few hours,' Kakashi said. 'Get some rest.'

She smiled at him, brushing his arm with hers lightly as she turned to walk away.

'Sleep well,' she said softly, and then left. His eyes burned on her back as she slipped back into her room.

Ino waggled her eyebrows at her from where she lay on her sleeping bag. Sakura rolled her eyes and flopped down onto her own sleeping mat. At least Ino had set up the sleeping area while she touched base with Kakashi.

'What are you going to do?' Ino asked after a few minutes of contemplative silence.

Sakura had spent most of their running time thinking about Kakashi. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that nothing was really holding her back from giving it a shot with him. She did not really have anything to lose and a lot to potentially win.

With two of her closest female friends pursuing her two male team mates, Kakashi really was her best prospect for the happily ever after that she had dreamed of as a little girl. He was not perfect, but what man really was? So far she liked what she was seeing but it distressed her to see how broken he was after so many years of being alone as those he held dear died around him. Sasuke's loss had almost been the last straw.

She held his heart in her hands. It was up to her whether it continued to beat or crumbled away to dust. This might be their last chance to reach him.

No pressure.

'I think I'm going to give it a real shot,' she admitted.

'And the mission?' Ino probed.

Within a few hours of running, Ino had managed to get the whole story out of her. It had reassured Sakura that nothing had been said out loud, so both of them could claim ignorance if her mission and sensitive information had been shared.

'He won't know what hit him,' Sakura smirked.

* * *

After a few hours of rest, Sakura and Ino whispered and giggled together as they altered Sakura's uniform.

The push up bra enhanced her assets, making them much more prominent. Her top was slightly more form fitting and the slits along the side went up a little higher, showing a small expanse of her stomach. The shorts were short enough to basically be considered underwear. She also went without the knee guards to highlight the length of her legs.

The changes were subtle but made a noticeable difference. Kakashi would not be able to keep his eyes off her for the rest of the day. The other guys would notice as well, guaranteed to make his jealousy spike. It was an obvious ploy but why mess with what worked?

The girls exited their sleeping quarters and joined the guys waiting at the viewing platform.

Kakashi's eyes raked over her body and Sakura smiled at him, enjoying the appreciation in his gaze. Naruto, on the other hand, was making her skin crawl as he salivated over her chest.

'Shall we go?' He asked, sounding bemused.

'Sure,' Sakura said, continuing to smile at him as she punched Naruto over the ledge of the viewing platform. 'Oh look, Naruto's taking the lead.'

Ino snickered and winked at Sakura as they all followed him down to the ground.

Naruto grumbled most of the way to Narai, the port village to the east of the Fire country. Sakura ignored him, too busy flashing skin at Kakashi who was now bringing up the rear as she ran through the thinning forest.

It was not long before Sakura could smell the salt of the ocean and she lifted her nose to sniff the breeze appreciatively.

The group paused before the last of the trees fell away.

'This is where we split up for a bit,' Kakashi instructed. 'Gai and Lee in one group. You play the father and son role, hit the family friendly places. Shikamaru with Naruto, bachelors hitting the clubs and gamble houses and Ino with Sai sight-seeing, particularly along the wharf. Sakura is with me. We'll each take a different route into the village, staying inconspicuous and listening for any information about these rogue ninjas. Slowly make your way towards the main port. we'll be catching the Michishio at 1:20 tomorrow so try not to be late.'

Everyone nodded and took off through the forest so that they could discreetly enter Narai from different directions, leaving Sakura and Kakashi alone.

As soon as everyone was out of sight and hearing, Kakashi pounced, trapping Sakura between the nearest tree and his own body.

'See something you like?' She purred coquettishly.

'Indeed I do. A rather obvious tactic, but admittedly effective,' he growled, pulling his mask down and running his hands possessively down her sides.

Sakura chuckled, sliding her hands into his hair and pulling him even closer. He kissed her softly and she sighed into his mouth, returning the kiss as her eyes drifted closed.

'I should get you hot and bothered more often,' she said smirking into his mouth and tugging lightly on his hair.

'Have mercy on an old man, Sakura,' he groaned, burrowing his face in her neck. He nibbled on the point where her neck met her shoulder, making her clutch his shoulders and moan.

'You're not that old,' she panted.

'Stop it. I'm blushing,' he said, pulling back, his eyes twinkling with mirth and lust.

Sakura rolled her eyes but smiled softly at him. 'Come on Captain, we've got a lot of ground to cover and not much time to do it in.'

They faded back into the trees to change into civilian clothes, carefully disguising themselves as innocent travelers. Sakura was sad to put away her sexy little outfit but she planned on bringing it out to torment Kakashi fairly regularly.

The two of them entered Narai arm in arm as newlyweds, quickly checking into a motel.

'Where is your luggage?' The small man behind the counter asked, his eyes flickering between them with sharp suspicion.

'We eloped,' Sachi giggled, heart in her eyes as she stroked her husband's chest possessively. 'Isn't that right, Kai?'

'Yes sweetheart,' he said, grabbing her hand, his eyes burning into hers as he kissed her palm.

She stared back, entranced, the world dropping away.

'Here's your room key,' the man said, throwing them onto the counter, averting his eyes politely.

'Thank you,' Kai said, giving him a charming smile. Sachi clung to his side as he led them to their room for the night.

Kakashi shut the door behind them and leant against it, shaking off the role and settling back into his own skin.

'You are good at this,' he admitted, looking at Sakura with sharp eyes. 'There's little a man wouldn't do with those eyes staring up at him like that.'

'Indeed,' Sakura said, her green eyes flashing with amusement. Perhaps Kakashi was finally realising how much trouble he was in.

Sakura claimed the bathroom, locking herself in with her bag of tricks. Their role was to hit all of the bars and restaurants, drinking and making merry and sifting through the low-lifes that occupied Narai for a scrap of information about these seven little troublemakers. Anything they could find out before they reached Mist would be a blessing. It was also important to find out how much trouble these rogue ninjas had been stirring up at their border and whether Fire was at risk also.

She went all out, a strappy little black dress that clung to her like a second skin, showing off every curve to devastating effect. Her hair she pinned up, covering it with a wig of luscious black hair. Light makeup enhanced her lips and the piercing green of her eyes. A light dusting of bronzer on her skin made her glow and disguised her fairness.

Pulling on a pair of sexy black pumps that added at least an inch to her height, Sakura surveyed herself in the mirror. She smirked at her reflection. Unrecognisable.

Opening the door, Sakura whistled in appreciation as she took in Kakashi's appearance.

'You look good in a suit,' she said, her eyes raking up and down his body. She wondered how he had fit a suit in his backpack, let alone kept it from getting creased but quickly realised that he must have sealed it in a scroll.

Kakashi was wearing a dark blue suit, perfectly tailored to his broad shoulders and trim waist. He wore no tie, the white shirt underneath opened by a few buttons, drawing the eye to his chest. He had gotten rid of the mask and had tamed his hair so that it fluttered around his face, hiding his left eye mostly from sight.

Overall, it was very charming and slightly took her breath away.

'You look fantastic,' he breathed, trying but failing to keep his eyes off the aforementioned curves. Sakura winked at him, doing a twirl to show off just how tight the dress was. Hopefully he caught the lack of marring lines and realised what that meant.

He swallowed, trying to find his voice. Yeah, he noticed. Sakura smirked.

'Shall we?' She asked, lifting one eyebrow at him.

'Sure,' he said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, red tinting his cheeks.

Quickly they each made several clones. The only way to canvas the whole city was to divide the work with their clones and hit up as many bars and restaurants as they could in a single night.

Rather than go back out the door, they slipped out of the window and dropped down into the alley beside the motel. Behind them, the clones they had made did the same, disappearing into the night.

Once again arm in arm, they casually strolled out of the alley and into the street, laughing and chatting, by all appearances caught up in their own private little world.

The first restaurant they hit up was in the high end of town, Sakura observed as they were seated by a waiter. Kakashi perused the wine list and discussed their choice with their waiter while Sakura scanned the room through lowered lashes.

There were quite a few slimeballs with pretty young things on their arms, especially in the VIP area but no one who screamed dangerous to her. Still, you never knew what you might overhear. As the waiter went to fetch their bottle of champagne, Sakura excused herself and went to the bathroom, placing a number of listening devices in hidden alcoves and in the ladies' room. Slimy men always underestimated their women and how much they overheard, and of course, ladies liked to gossip.

Sakura returned to their table and gave Kakashi a sultry smile.

Before she could start a conversation, the waiter returned with their menus.

'Thank you,' she said, giving the waiter a smile. Kakashi echoed his thanks and the waiter left them to their perusal.

'Kai, darling,' she simpered, 'what looks good, do you think?' She fluttered her eyelashes at him and he stared at her like she was insane. 'Too much?' She asked, giggling at the look on his face,

'A bit,' he said, looking bemused now. 'As to what looks good, I was contemplating the ushiojiru. Surely a little port town like this would have wonderful seafood.'

'Too true,' she agreed, looking over the picture of the clam soup on her menu. 'It does look divine.'

The waiter materialised beside them again and took their order with quick, polite efficiency.

In the end, the clam soup was as good as it looked and they discovered very little from the clientele. They did, however, have a good time reminiscing about Naruto and Sasuke squabbling when they were still refusing to acknowledge each other back in their genin days.

Kakashi helped Sakura out of her chair after he had paid the bill and they left the restaurant arm in arm.

'Naruto is worried, you know,' she said, her green eyes drifting up towards the sky to look at the stars, her shoulders drooped. 'I know Sasuke didn't want to return to the village but no one has heard anything from him in six years, not so much as a whisper.'

'I know,' Kakashi said. 'ANBU have been the ones trying to track him. There's no sign of him. It's like he's vanished off the face of the Earth.'

'It took a long time for me to stop being angry with him and move on, but I'm worried too, Kakashi. I might not be in love with him anymore but I still care about him. What if he really is the leader of this group? It would destroy Naruto,' Sakura said, trying to shake off the sinking feeling in her chest.

Kakashi stopped, turning towards her and pulling her close. Sakura blinked away the moisture and allowed herself to relax into his embrace.

'I don't think he's part of this group. He doesn't match any of the descriptions we've been given by Tsunade,' Kakashi said, 'but I have this feeling that this is our best lead to finding him since the war ended.'

Sakura pulled away from him and looked into his eyes, as sad and serious as her own. 'We'll find him,' she vowed.

'We will,' Kakashi said. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers softly.

'We'd better keep moving,' she said, smiling at him as she took his arm again.

'Dessert?' Kakashi asked, gesturing towards a bustling restaurant a little further down the road.

'Perfect,' Sakura said, tugging him down the street.

* * *

She could not help but tease him at every opportunity. At each bar they got more and more drunk and Sakura got more and more handsy.

At first it was innocent. Well, as innocent as it could be when they were pretending to be newlyweds. Rubbing her thumb over his hand, leaning in closer as he was speaking, licking her lips after another sweet cocktail. That quickly descended into trailing her hands across his chest as she stood directly in front of him at the bar while he ordered another round of drinks.

He grabbed her hands just as she was about to slip them under his shirt.

'If you keep that up, I'll be abandoning this bar and dragging you up to our room,' he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

'Maybe that's what I want,' Sakura said, her eyes twinkling.

'You're drunk. I'm drunk,' Kakashi replied.

'That can easily be rectified. Medic, remember?' Sakura teased.

'Tease,' he said, smiling down at her. He handed her another drink, this one a bright green cocktail with a cherry floating in it. It tasted like watermelon.

'Mmm delicious,' she said, licking her lips after a small sip. Kakashi groaned, his eyes dark, watching her mouth. 'Want to taste?' She asked, taking another sip.

'Yes,' he said, pulling her close to kiss her possessively. She put the drink down on the bar and returned his kiss with enthusiasm. His tongue pressed into her mouth, tangling with hers as he lapped up the sweet taste of the melon. She whimpered, her knees weak with lust. This time he did not stop her as her hands slipped underneath his shirt and glided over his toned abs.

Eventually he pulled away from her and they both panted for breath. Her heart swooped in her chest as his eyes met hers. It was amazing how much emotion he could convey with a single look. They promised passion and lust and pleasure with that unnamed emotion dancing in between that excited and terrified Sakura in equal measure. His eyes promised tonight and then the next night and the next and all of his tomorrows.

'We should continue,' he said regretfully. Sakura nodded and they emerged from the noisy bar into the street. The eerie stillness of the night was punctuated only by the occasional burst of light and sound as the doors of several bars opened and people either spilled in or out of them. The two ninjas weaved their way through the staggering drunks and giggly escorts that pervaded port towns such as these as they searched for their next club.

At the end of the street was a huge warehouse that vibrated in time with the music that could be faintly heard through the closed, guarded doors. Several security guards stood in front of the only entrance, checking ID's and keeping an eye on those waiting in line to enter the establishment. Every few minutes when someone left the club, another few people slipped inside.

'Looks popular,' Sakura noted, indicating the thrum of people waiting in the line.

'And shady,' Kakashi agreed. Sakura looked closely and could spot a few rough look people waiting in the line. If she could not feel their chakra, Sakura would have known just from the way they stood that these were ninja.

'Darling, let's go dancing!' Sachi cried, dragging her husband towards the club and trying not to stumble too obviously.

'Whatever you want, sweetheart,' Kai crooned, pulling her back to his side, helping to steady her. Sachi cheered and they joined the line, draped over each other and snatching kisses until even the nearest security guard was looking away in disgust.

Half of Sakura's attention was on the interesting things that Kakashi was doing with his tongue, while the other half was listening to the conversations around her and cataloguing any interesting information. She paid special attention to the three definite ninjas, who were speaking in low voices a few metres in front of her.

Sakura shut out all other noises and focused intently on hearing their conversation. Snatches of it came to her and she struggled to make sense of it.

'…telling you man, I've never seen…'

'…strange sword…'

'…the whole village…'

'…when I find out who those…'

'…rip them to pieces, same as what they…'

'…mist…'

Before Sakura could find out more or puzzle out what she had heard, the three ninja were ushered into the club.

Kakashi was as tense as she was, and she smoothed her arms over his shoulders to reassure him. He relaxed against her, nibbling on her neck. Sakura could almost hear his brain whirring as he analysed the snatches of conversation they had been able to hear.

'At least one of them is nearby,' he murmured into her ear, nibbling on it in a way that made Sakura's heart race.

'I agree,' she whispered. 'We have to be careful. It sounds like one ninja managed to slaughter an entire village. He must be strong.'

Kakashi hummed in agreement and pulled away as the security guards patted them down and examined their ID. Civilian security guards were easily fooled by the genjutsu Kakashi had placed on two blank pieces of paper. The wave of noise and sweat and liquor washed over them as they stepped into the club, the door slamming shut behind them.

There was a huge stage at the rear end of the warehouse where a DJ was blasting music from several massive speakers. The club was pitch black apart from the kaleidoscope of bright lights flitting around the crowd and occasionally lighting up the faces of the dancers.

Sakura idly wondered if they were electric lights or a jutsu but dismissed it from her mind as she scanned the dancers, trying in vain to find the three from earlier.

'Up there,' Kakashi said into her ear. Sakura glanced up and saw several viewing platforms running across the top of the warehouse. Sure enough, their suspects were there, joined now by several more men. Clearly this was a meeting point for them. It was almost impossible for them to be snuck up on or overheard.

'How are we going to get close enough?' Sakura said. There was no way to do so without being discovered and it was frustrating to have possible intel dangling just out of reach.

'We can't,' Kakashi said, his voice echoing her frustration. Kakashi was good, but even he could not sneak up on a large group of wary ninja.

'We'll just have to leave clones and follow them later,' Sakura said with a sigh. Whatever the men were talking about as they towered metres above the crowd, it would have to wait.

Still, the two ninja decided to dance, keeping an eye on the men. Well, Kakashi watched, while Sakura tried to distract him, kissing his neck and rubbing her body against his in time to the music.

She could not waste such a prime opportunity to win those bells, after all.


End file.
